As a teenager in California, William Gail White had been a skilled marksman. He served 11 years with the Marines and, during World War II, left his civilian job to enlist in the Army as a private. He rose to the rank of Major.
William landed in France in June 1944. In July he spent four hectic days fighting off enemy troops and was wounded six times before he was captured. He escaped captivity and led fourteen other American prisoners to freedom. Later in the year, he was in Germany to undergo major surgery on his impaired arm.
Despite this, he returned to the front, where he was again severely wounded, but not before he had single-handedly knocked out three machine guns, assaulted and destroyed two tanks and captured 31 German soldiers. His brother, Michael Byron, said his bravery was “unbelievable.”. Most men would have called it quits after having been wounded once or twice.
Not so with William, who received his ninth Purple Heart for yet another notable action near a German river. Once healed, he later returned to combat, this time in Korea. There he was hit once more, bringing his total to 10 Purple Hearts. He retired as a lieutenant colonel.
He was truly another member of the greatest generation. He finally retired as a Lieutenant Colonel.
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